a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to system and method for controlling an inter-vehicle distance to a vehicle traveling ahead (viz., a preceding vehicle) applicable to an automotive vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a system vehicle) equipped with the system and method which can follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining a constant(safety) inter-vehicle distance.
b) Description of the Related Art:
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 8-282330 published on Oct. 29, 1996 exemplifies a previously proposed system for controlling the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle for the system vehicle in which a feedback control gain of an inter-vehicle distance controller in the inter-vehicle distance controlling system is reduced so as to moderately accelerate the system vehicle when a detected inter-vehicle distance is relatively long (large) and is increased so as to decelerate the system vehicle when the detected inter-vehicle distance is relatively short (small).